Once in a lifetime
by UnderdogHero
Summary: Friendship could bloom from the simplest of people. And it could end as quickly as it started. Hoenn starters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I did this for two reasons:

1. I love the Hoenn region and miss it dearly(my game is being a bastard and keeps freezing up 15 minutes into my save file)

2.I have a messed up mind and look at reality differently and reasonably(kinda)

This was originally supposed to be 3 super short chapters about the trainers and their first battles, but as I thought about it, it turned into their whole journey.

Chapters will be going by the starter's nickname, not by the trainer, as it's in their POV. Dialogue will be in italics for Pokemon.

**Chapter 1: Ryu**

The Torchic watched the three trainers in front of them. It was that time of year again, when a new trainer came in for their first Pokemon. He had never been picked, after two years, but it looked like he would finally be able to leave the lab.

In front of him stood three young trainers, two boys and one girl. The tallest boy had short blond hair and sharp, violet eyes. He looked more serious than the two, probably a trainer that would make it through a battle. The next boy had short black hair and kind blue eyes. He had a sweet smile and seemed like someone who would care for a Pokemon in the nicest way. He wanted to be picked by that one. The last one was a girl with brown hair tied messily into a ponytail and green eyes. She looked like the type to jump into battle quickly, not thinking about the outcome.

The black-haired boy came up first, nervously, encouraged by his friends. Torchic watched with wide eyes as he reached forward to the Mudkip with shaking hands. She gave him a small lick on the nose and told him "_it's alright._" though they knew the humans couldn't understand them. He smiled and stepped back, making space for the next child.

The next one simply nodded to the Treeko, who nodded back awkwardly and leapt off the table to stand next to his trainer. He watched in horror (although he was sure his Torchic face hid it) as the girl came up and plucked him off the table and into the air.

"And this one's mine!" She cheered, one of the boys sighing, while the other just smiled on.

After accepting their pokedex and pokeballs, the three trainers went their separate ways, Treeko - or _Sho_ as his trainer named him - gave him a sympathetic look. Mudkip - _Sen_, she was named - just gave him a look that said 'You'll come to like her.' as she was carried off by her own trainer. He felt a sigh, even though it sounded more like a chirp.

What had he gotten into?

xXxXxXx

What in the world had compelled the girl to name him _'Dragon'_ of all things? It would have fit that Treeko more than it did him. They were traveling down Route 102, when a Zigzagoon jumped out in front of them. He was, as he suspected, sent straight into battle.

"Ryu, use beak attack!"

"_Oka- Wait, what?_"

He gave her this "what-the-fuck" look, to which she began flailing her arms.

"You know, that that thing you do with your beak. Uh, it was, it was - Peck! Use Peck!"

He gave her another look. "_I don't _know_ peck.._" Did this girl flunk out of trainer school?

"Oh, right, your only level 5, aren't you?" Oh, now she gets it. "Okay then, uh, feet attack!"

"_Don't you know your attacks!_?"

xXxXxXx

Oh, how he hated humanity. They were now in Rustboro city, where his trainer - Tsukasa, he learned her name was - went straight to the gym.

A little while back in Odale town they met up with the other two trainers who came in with her. There the blond one challenged her to a battle. Seeing as she charged right into battle, and her opponent was a skilled strategist apparently, they were beaten flat before the battle could even pass the five-minute mark. The other boy there had extra potions - Tsukasa never thought to buy any - and healed him up quick. They bid their farewells and went off again, reminding their friend about how to properly take care of a Torchic. Ryu was thankful for that, as they had given her potions and some more pokeballs, but there was something he was suspicious of.

What was this bet she and the blond kid were talking about? The other boy looked like he had nothing to do about it, as he just shook his head and commented on their foolishness. It seemed there was something he and Sho were unaware of, and Sen looked clueless too.

Back to where they were, Ryu and Tsukasa stood outside the large building.

"This must be the gym." She said, walking up to the door. Now, there wouldn't have been a problem for him if she had trained him until he evolved, but Ryu was still a Torchic, therefore he had a huge disadvantage. Especially since the first gym was rock-types.

Needless to say they were beaten pretty quickly, having to rush off to the Pokemon Center. There, he overheard something interesting.

"Did you see that boy with the Treeko? He beat Roxane so quickly."

"Well, it _was_ a grass-type. Of course he had the advantage."

"I heard a kid with a Mudkip came by the other day too and won."

He looked up at his trainer, seeing her fingers tightening around her cup. What was going on?

xXxXxXx

It's been nearly a year now. They had five badges and were heading for the sixth. Ryu was, though he wouldn't admit it, growing quite fond of his trainer. Sure, she was reckless, arrogant, jumped into battle without planning, but she cared for him the right way. The still lost all their battles to that kid, but everything else was turning out okay. He had long ago evolved into Combusken, learning more fighting type moves, making it easier to battle. That was until they got to a psychic-type gym.

Ryu gave out a cry as he was slammed against the wall, the Lunatone in front of him, eyes glowing blue. Because she only had one Pokemon, the were fighting two-on-one, Lunatone and Solrock as their opponents. He still didn't know why she wouldn't catch another Pokemon, but it always worked out in the end for would find out eventually, but first it seemed like his trainer really wanted to win this battle. He brought up his arms, readying a Night Slash, and charged forward.

If that was what she wanted, then they were winning this.

xXxXxXx

"There, that looks good, right?"

The Combusken looked around. They were in their newly-built secret base, and Tsukasa had just finished decorating. After a quick stop in Lilycove, of course.

He sat on the fluffy pink carpet in the middle of the room. The other decorations included a large table piled high with stuffed animals, a few posters, and a Skitty TV. Right now she was trying to get the TV to work while he sat and watched. When the screen finally flickered to life, they watched as the news played on whatever channel it was pre-set to.

xXxXxXx

"We're finally got it!"

Ryu felt like cheering too. They finally managed to receive their eighth badge. He had to admit, it was a tough battle, the gym being a water-type gym. After four tries they managed to wear down his team and deliver the final blow. Wallace watched them with a smile, at first unable to believe he had been beaten by a fire-type and it's new trainer, but he had to give them credit.

"Congratulations." He said, handing the eager young girl her badge. "You are now able to take on the Hoenn League."

Tsukasa was practically radiating happiness, and it somehow made Ryu happy too.

xXxXxXx

This had to be a nightmare. Ryu wanted to believe that so much. He still couldn't believe how their journey and time together could end so quickly.

It had only been three years.

Tsukasa lay on the cave floor, her entire lower body crushed under several large boulders. He watched in horror as she looked up at him, crooked smile almost hidden by all the blood.

"I'm sorry," She said, voice cracking. "Team Aqua was just too much for me. I'm sorry you had to get involved. Not that we could help it, your my only Pokemon."

Blood poured out from the gash on her forehead, covering the pale face. Ryu wanted to help her, but he knew any attempts at a Rock Smash or Strength would simply make things worse. The cave would fall in even more. She raised herself up on her elbows as much as she could and reached under the collar of her shirt. From there she pulled out a silver necklace, the charm around it in the shape of a Torchic's head. Ryu bent his head, knowing what she meant to do. She put the chain around the Combusken's neck, elbows giving out.

"Ne, Ryu?" He raised his head and looked back at her, seeing the sad smile on her face. "I'm not really from Hoenn. I moved here from Saffron in Kanto. We moved here so I could be a trainer." His chest felt tight. Why did they have to agree to helping take out Team Aqua?

"The bet..." She continued, and his eyes widened. "I... made a bet with Allen. We wanted to see... who could last the longest... with just one Pokemon." She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked back at him. "I know I'm apologizing a lot, but... I'm sorry. Yuuki was right, if I hadn't agreed to that bet, maybe we could've gotten out of this together, if I had more Pokemon..."

Ryu's eyes widened at the sight of blood pouring from her mouth. He knelt down in front of her, patting her head with his large paws.

"I... I know you never liked me. I could tell by the look on your face when I picked you up. But I hope you've... come to like me, even a little."

He felt the tears welling up in his eyes as her's slid shut, hearing her mumble one last thing.

_"Your still my best friend..."_

xXxXxXx

Ryu looked over the faces of the new students. He didn't even pay attention as the teacher gave out instructions.

_After the death of his trainer, he returned to Oldale town, locating her house rather easily. The drawings on the outside wall were a bit of a give away. The moment her mother saw him, and the chain around his neck, she broke down. He knew then why she gave it to him._

_After telling Yuuki, who had come back after finishing his contests, he knew it was a matter of time before the boy broke down too. They were still too young._

He barely heard the teacher introducing him.

After the events in Hoenn, he moved with the family back to Saffron, where he entered the Fighting Dojo as one of the Pokemon students. It took a mere two years for him to evolve into a Blaziken and . He looked over their eager faces, all staring at him in awe. What was so great about him? A Blaziken, heart broken over the loss of his trainer, now a teacher at a dojo, was that it?

The chain around his neck glinted in the sunlight streaming through the window, the ruby eye of the Torchic giving off a faint red glow.

The class was divided into two groups, each with an even amount of Pokemon and trainers. He set them to train right away, not bothering with any introductions.

"Ryu-sensei, can you help me with this move?"

He looked down to see a little girl, only a little over nine, with medium-lenght brown hair tied into pigtails. She had dark blue eyes and a determined smile on her face.

Who knew, maybe he could take after his own trainer?

xXxXxXx

There I go again, killing off my own characters again.

So this fic went from complete crack to total tragedy. And theres more. I may not be able to finish the last two chapters tonight, since it's the dreaded Sunday and I may be going to school tomorrow. Or not. Dunno yet, my mom hasn't told me anything. But yeah.

If your wondering:

Tsukasa: Sapphire verse - vs. team Aqua

Allen: Ruby verse - vs. team Magma

Yuuki: Emerald Verse - vs. no one

This fic was originally supposed to be about the 15 starters and their first battles with their new trainers, but I kept thinking about it and it turned into this. I may do a few more versions of this, set in different games and regions, but for now it's these three chapters.

So, who can guess what happens next chapter?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So this fic really had no main character, I just put Mudkip 'cuz Yuuki's chapter is gonna be realitively longer than Tsukasa and Allen's. To think the whole idea of this fic started out with a joke at school. Let's hope I can finish all the chapters tonight, before I start procrastinating and forget to finish it. Come to think of it, I should be finishing _**On the Other Side**_, and I'll get to that very soon, but seeing as it took me over 4 hours to finish chapter 1 (started re-watching Deltora Quest, never got to finish it on Youtube) that could take a while. Wish me luck.

Here we have Sho and Allen. Okay, so the first part of this chapter is pretty much the same as chapter 1, just different POV, so it'll be a bit shorter.

**Chapter 2: Sho**

Treeko watched as the blond boy walked up to hi and nodded. At first he wasn't sure what to do, so he nodded back awkwardly and jumped off the table. He felt a bit jealous of Mudkip, having such a nice looking trainer, but he settled with who he got. He felt more sorry for Torchic, getting the seemingly-sugar-high girl. His looked like he would be able to survive in fight, so he was sure he would come out of this journey okay.

After the three received their items, they went their separate ways.

xXxXxXx

His trainer - Allen, he guessed from the conversation - stayed a bit longer with the black-haired boy, walking with him until they came to a road that split off. One led to the forests, while the other led to town. Allen advised the other boy to take the road to the town, seemingly over-protective. He simply nodded sadly with a small smile and went on his way.

He wondered for a while what it was about. He looked up at his trainer, who caught his gaze and sighed.

"He won't do well here." He said, walking towards the forest. Sho followed, confused, when a Zigzagoon jumped out at them. Allen immediately took a step back, while Sho stepped up.

(cuz I suck at battle scenes)

A mere five minutes and the battle was over. Sho was amazed that they won so quickly. Allen walked up to him and knelt down.

"Your dodging needs some work, we'll fix that next time." He said, then stood back up and continued down the path.

xXxXxXx

"... and if you move your feet like this..."

Sho was honestly confused. They had just ended their first battle against that girl and Ryu (he had a good laugh at the name she picked) and he was, again, walking Yuuki to the next town. And he was explaining a bunch of things about how to dodge better. He didn't see the point of walking the black-haired boy to each town whenever they met up, he seemed to be doing fine on his own. Sen was in good condition, too, it seemed. Currently they were napping by a tree, waiting on him and his trainer. It seemed like the boy needed less breaks than they did.

"So how's the bet goin'?"

Both boys looked back to see him looking at them, sleepy eyed. Sen was curled up in his arms, snoozing away, unaware of the current conversation. Allen looked back to his chart. "Fine."

"... 'Kay." He went back to sleep.

Bet? Sho looked to his trainer, who simply shrugged.

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

He highly doubted that.

xXxXxXx

Sho sighed. They were in their new secret base, only six months into their journey, and he was dead tired. Allen was busy looking through the channels on the TV, seated on one of the cushions. Sho was lying down in the middle of the carpet, thinking about the past six months.

It had only taken him four months to evolve into a Grovyle, and within that time they had managed to go through four gyms. Allen, he learned, was a skilled strategist. He always managed to beat Tsukasa and Ryu whenever the group crossed paths, but what confused him was the fact that he always went off course to walk Yuuki to a new town whenever they met up. The boy was a skilled medic, one that could probably work a whole center by himself. It seemed like Sen and his other Pokemon excelled in healing abilities too.

He learned, from the conversations between the two, about his and Tsukasa's 'bet'. They were seeing who could last longest up to the league with just one Pokemon. Yuuki, he also found out, wasn't in on the bet. So he already had a team of four, them being Sen - having evolved into Marshtomp - ; Del, his -surprisingly male - Skitty; Rhode, his Mightyena; and an Eevee pup they picked up on the road, named Shinji.

He recalled overhearing something about Team Magma, but he was too tired to bother thinking about it. Instead, he decided to get some sleep, ready for tomorrow's journey.

xXxXxXx

They won another battle with Tsukasa and Ryu. The two had become a better team, and it seemed that the girl was becoming more patient in her battles. Ryu wasn't as hot-headed anymore either.

Yuuki watched their battle, Sen at his side, deciding not to say anything.

Afterward the three decided to go up to the weather institute, to see if they could get some rest. Sho was happy for it, he hadn't slept in a normal bed for a while.

They hadn't expected, however, to be ambushed by Magma and Aqua, both teams seemingly after the same thing.

"It's ours, we got here first!" One of the Aqua's yelled at a Magma. The other scowled.

"Since when have you ever played fair with us?" She yelled back.

The group was dragged into the room, thrown to the ground.

He noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was a Pokemon, round and had stubs for feet with what looked like hair sticking up. What was it?

The three got ready for battle, Allen standing guard in front of Yuuki, who lowered his gaze.

The Magma woman growled. "Grab the Castform!" She shouted.

Sho watched as the tiny Pokemon shook in fear, unable to move from it's spot. He saw Allen turn his head, just in time to see Yuuki dash forward, tackling a grunt to the ground, Del popping out of his ball and copying his trainer's example. The Treeko watched as the dark-haired boy grabbed the small pink Pokemon, receiving a tackle to the back. he heard his trainer command him, sending a Bullet Seed to the back of the Aqua's head.

Now they just had to make sure the boy was alive.

xXxXxXx

Sho looked up at the gym in front of him. The were now in Sootopolis city, a dormant volcano city, and he had a pretty good feeling about this gym. It was a water-type gym, but it wasn't the strongest for nothing. He was sure they would run into problems here. Allen patted his head.

Since the start of their journey the had become a lot closer, Allen starting to open up to him. he noticed changes in the other two as well, but never had the chance to point them out before. They entered the gym, spirits high and ready for battle.

xXxXxXx

They did it. They were currently standing in front of the entrance to the Victory Road, headed towards Ever Grande City, where the Hoenn league was. he could feel the happiness bubbling up inside him. He never thought they would make it this far this soon. As they approached the entrance, they saw a figure leaning on the cliff side.

"Yuuki..." Allen mumbled. Sho was surprised too. He didn't think the frail boy would make it there, he always had a thing for contests, other than the occasional gym battle. "What are you doing here?" Allen asked. Sho locked eyes with Sen for a moment before he trainer spoke.

"Battle me."

xXxXxXx

Three years seemed like an eternity to most people, but it seemed like seconds to him. It all ended too soon for them.

Allen stroked the leaf in his hand, the same one Sho had launched at him to keep him pinned to the wall.

While he watched his precious Grovyle burn at the hands of Team Magma.

Why had he went up to Mt. Pyre knowing full well that Team Magma would be there? He would have never agreed to this if he had known it would cost him his best friend.

He slowly approached the spot where his friend lay, burried under a pile of rock that collapsed from the ceiling. He gently stroked the paw that was reaching out from the bottom of the pile.

"If only I hadn't made that bet..." He said, voice cracking in an attempt to keep the tears in. "If I hadn't done something so stupid, I may have been able to save him, had a water-type..."

He vaguely remembered forcing Yuuki to go back home after the request had come. He could have saved Sho, had he not sent the other boy away.

He was the one who beat him at the league, after all.

"Sho, I'm sorry." He said, tears falling to the ground. "I'm sorry I made our time together so hard. You were always there, trying to help me, and all I did was male things difficult." he rubbed his eyes, arms falling to his sides. "I'm sorry I made that mistake. I didn't know that would happen. You never were good at dodging," He gave a small chuckle, which turned to sobs. He let the tears trail down his face, not bothering anymore to hide them. "you were my best friend, even more than Yuuki. I wish I hadn't tried so hard to protect him, he was right, he could have taken care of himself. But I didn't listen. I tried to play the hero again. It's always like this..."

He gripped the leaf in his hand, standing up and walking away. There was nothing he could do anymore, no way he could undo what was done. Nothing he could do to save his best friend and partner.

He would live with his own mistakes.

_"Sho, I'll miss you..."_

xXxXxXx

Allen looked up at the wide blue sky above him.

He never went back to his home, never reported back about the incident. What was there to say? That he had lost his best friend to their selfish request? That he broke down crying instead of giving chase and letting them escape? He never wanted to see any of them again.

He didn't blame Yuuki, it was his fault for pushing his friend away when it could have saved a life. He blamed the people that caused all this. He blamed Magma, he blamed the union, he blamed those damned men who came and made him the person he is today. Or was. No longer was he the calculating, deep-thinking boy. He was different. He no longer thought.

He still remembered the day they met. By now Sho would have been a Sceptile, strong and finally taller than him. He chuckled at the thought, getting a confused look from the other beside him. He patted the Roselia's head.

In the two years he had disappeared he had saved a Roselia from a forest fire. The child refused to leave him afterward, so he decided to name her 'Shori'.

He knew no one could replace Sho in his heart, but that didn't mean he couldn't make space for another. Maybe this was the start of a new beginning.

xXxXxXx

And there you have it. Allen was supposed to die in the original script for this, but I decided to make it opposite the first chapter. I plan to use him and Yuuki in another fic, along with Ryu. That one, like many of my fics I've mentioned, won't be out for a while, but I am typing and writing everthing I can think of for those, so they'll be ready when the time comes. Plus I made a list.

Okay, after this last chapter I will get on with _**On the Other Side**_, so be ready for it.(Haha watch me procrastinate on the last chapter)(Ah damn made this chapter waaay too short, may re-write or add)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So I finally decided to get started on the last chapter. This one will be realtively longer (or shorter, since I'm starting to run out of scenes) since it will clear up some things from the 2nd chapter, and there will be a lot more scenes from the game. I'm not going to put every gym battle or area here, just cuz I don't want it to be too long.

This one, being the most important chapter, will be from both POVs at different scenes. Yuuki and Sen will be used again in a future fic that I may explain later. I'll also say which scenes are where in the game.

**Chapter 3: Mudkip and Yuuki**

Mudkip watched the kid boy reach out for her. At contact, she felt his hands shaking. She reached up, licking his nose softly, feeling him flinch slightly.

"_It's alright._"

He smiled and laughed lightly, stepping aside and allowing his friend to step up.

Moments later, outside, the three discussed names before parting ways.

"So it's decided then. Treeko, your new name is Sho." The blond boy said. Sho nodded.

"Then your Ryu!" The girl cheered, throwing the Torchic into the air, who looked horrified. The two turned to her trainer, who sighed.

"Yes, yes." He looked down at the Mudkip in his arms. "I'll call you Sen from now on." She smiled at him. It seemed like there was some sort of theme for there names, but none she could think of.

xXxXxXx(first rival battle, route 103)

Yuuki sighed. They had met up with the other two again, who decided to have a battle. He didn't want any part in it, instead saving his energy for the future gym battles.

"Those two never learn..." He sighed, frowing at them. Sen had learned soon after the group separated that Yuuki, kind as he was, was completely honest. Or blunt. However you want to put it. At least, he was when it came to those two. They seemed to extremely stress him out, which wasn't helping with his healt one bit.

He was seated on the ground, Sen in his arms (he prefered to carry her as much as possible, partly to keep her feet clean. From what he knew, it was a pain to clean a water-type's feet) as he watched Sho flatten Ryu in a matter of seconds. The fact that Tsukasa still hadn't memorized any of his attacks simply made it easier for Allen. Perhaps he should right them down later. He stood up, walking over the the fallen Torchic and pulled out a Potion from his bag.

Tsukasa thanked him as they prepared to leave, for the advice and help with items.

xXxXxXx(road between Oldale and Petalburg, route 102

"You go towards the town."

Yuuki nodded sadly, heading down the path that lead to Petalburg. Sen looked up at him, confused. Why was he letting the other boy command him? He noticed her gaze and smiled.

"I wouldn't do very well where they're going." He said. "My heart is weak, he never wanted me to become a trainer in the first place, but when he knew he couldn't stop me, he gave up. On the condition that he walk me to each town, that is."

"_I see, that's too bad._" Sen told him, but she knew he couldn't understand her.

He was only human after all.

xXxXxXx(1st gym, Rustboro)

"Sen, Water Gun!"

The jet of water hit the Nosepass right in the face, knocking it back a few meters. Yuuki called of one final tackle, Sen charging forward and knocking down the weakened rock-type. Yuuki cheered, Roxane returning her fainted Pokemon to it's ball. She approached the young trainer, giving him a smile.

"Congratulations." She said, holding out her hand, the badge in her palm. "You've earned your first gym badge. This one let's you use the move Cut."

Yuuki tilted his head. "You need badges to use HMs?" He asked, confused. She smiled.

"Here, let me explain..."

xXxXxXx(Route 116)

Sen stared down the Skitty in front of her. After receiving the HM Cut from a man in town, the two decided to look for a Pokemon capable of using said move. To their luck, they managed to run into a Skitty.

After a few hits, Yuuki threw the ball, the Skitty looking up in confusion as the red light sucked it in. A few shakes and they heard a _click_, signalling it's capture. Yuuki cheered, running forward and picking up the ball. He pressed the button in the middle, and Sen watched as the pink cat materialized in front of her. Yuuki crouched down, pokedex in hand, and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"It's a... boy." He said slowly, and the Skitty and Sen looked at him confused. Was he going to release him? All those worries disappeared the moment he went back to smiling. "Well that's great! My first male Pokemon! Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered, but I've heard that males are rare within Skitty. Welcome to the team."

The Skitty mewed happily, jumping in place. Sen smiled widely Yuuki picked them both up, walking back towards the city.

"I'll name you... Del, how does that sound?" Del smiled happily.

xXxXxXx(Granite Cave)

The cave was dark, that was what they noticed.

"So, where do you three think we'll find this Steven guy?" The black-haired (Sen had to squint to see him) boy asked his three companions.

Sen and Del looked uo at him, while Rhode - his new Poochyena - looked around. She hadn't bonded with him as quickly as Del did, but she was coming around. Kinda. She still bit him occasionally. But that was beside the point. They were in Granite cave, looking for a man named Steven. At the entrance, they met a man who gave them Flash, but seeing as they hadn't gotten their next badge, they were unable to use it. Not like they could, they had no one that could learn it. So here they were, stumbling around in the darkness, looking for a man whose face they didn't even know.

They continued on, walking through the darkness. The whole reason Yuuki had the three out was because the annoying Zubat and aron kept popping out at them. Yuuki stumbled back, evading a Double-Edge from a very angry Aron. Sen countered with a Water Gun, sending the steel-type flying into the darkness. It seemed brighter all of a sudden, from below, but they paid it no mind, focusing oin the other three. A Mawile jumped forward, large jaws clamping around Yuuki's ankle, causing him to fall back when it release, right over the edge of the cliff. He yelled out, his Pokemon rushing to the cliffside, expecting to see him with a cracked skull. What none of them expected, however, was for a person to be conveniently passing by under them and catch him.

"Are you alright!" A silver-haired man asked, settin him down. Yuuki rubbed at his ankle, wincing when he felt the blood.

"I think that Mawile was hungry." He laughed, getting an odd look from the man next to him. He looked back in time to see Sen and the others jump down.

"Yours?" The man asked, Yuuki nodding after checking his wound. "Do you have any bandages?"

The man nodded, dropping his bag next to him. "My name is Steven, I'm here looking for rare stones."

Yuuki's eyes lit up. "Steven, wait, we were looking for you!" He suddenly said, motioning for Sen to drag over his bag. She did so, while Steven gave him a confused look.

"Why would you-" He was cut off when Yuuki shoved a letter forward.

"Your dad asked us to take it to you while we were passing by." He said, zipping up his bag. Steven pocketed the letter and returned to bandaging the boy's ankle.

"Thanks for delivering it, I'm sorry you had to go through all this trouble." He paused for a moment, then dug through his bag, pulling out a silver disk. "Here, take this, it may be useful. it's a move called Steel Wing."

Yuuki took the disk, smiling in thanks.

xXxXxXx(Slateport city)

Slateport was nice, but what caught his attention the most was the museum. He was surprised, however, to find the path blocked by several men dressed in blue and had bandanas. He decided not to pay it any mind, making his way to the market stalls.

He met a very strange man, telling him to find a person who would give him the move Secret Power before he could sell him anything. He ignored this, no point in finding someone he doesn't know the face of.

xXxXxXx(Cycling Road, I really took this challenge for a while)

Sen was honestly scared for her life.

They had just left Mauvile city, new bike in hand. The moment he received it, someone put the idea into her trainer's head that it would be fun to speed down the cycling road on a Mach Bike and try _not_ to crash.

So there they were, going _down_ of all directions, Yuuki laughing maniacally while Sen clung to the basket he had put on for her. After reaching the bottom, which she hoped was the end, Yuuki smiled at her.

"Let's go again!"

xXxXxXx(Route 111, Desert Ruins)

Yuuki coughed, pulling his scarf higher up to cover his face.

Route 111's desert area was tough, that was for sure. They passed by Allen earlier that day, who wanted Yuuki to come with him to the next town, but Yuuki told him he wasn't heading to town just yet. He was about to follow them to the desert area, but Yuuki managed to talk him into continuing his own journey. He left, relunctantly, but he did. But not before giving him a pair of goggles to make his time there easier.

Along the way they managed to capture a Sanshrew, who Yuuki named Purin. Purin helped them get through most battles, since they realized that battling in this area was dangerous to anything other than rock, steel, and ground-types.

They stopped suddenly, looking up at the large building that suddenly appeared in front of them. Was this here before?

"Purin..." He started, the sand-mouse looking up at him. "Does this happen often?"

Purin nodded, he had quickly become attatched to his trainer, despite them only being together for around and hour. He looked back up when the boy walked towards the tower, and pulled on his pants leg. Yuuki raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

Purin pointed to the tower and shook his head, and Yuuki sighed. "You can wait out here if you want, but I want to check this out." He said, and continued forward, Purin chasing after him.

When they reached the second level, he realized (after falling rather harshly on his bottom) that a bike would help him get through much easier, so he did just that.

Purin found out why Sen no longer liked riding with him.

Upon reaching the top, the two were met with a strange sight. There were two stones lying on top of a mound. They approached, Yuuki tilting his head.

"Are these... fossils?" He studied the designs carefully, recalling the pictures in the books at home. "This one is a Claw Fossil. And the others a Root Fossil." He reached forward, picking up the Claw Fossil. Both jumped in surprise when they heard the sound of sand shifting, watching as the other fossil sunk into the ground.

"..."

He quickly stuffed the rock into his bag, picking up the Sandshrew and making a dash for the ladder.

xXxXxXx(Route 113. Oh, come on, everyone's done this at one point, right?)

Sen sighed, watching her trainer run through the grass, his new Spinda running after him.

They entered the house to gain shelter from the soot and ash, but what they didn't expect was for the man inside to tell him about how he could make him items from such things. After looking through the liist of items that could be made, Yuuki immediately took off, Soot Sack in hand.

She sighed again, watching as he tumbled to the ground, then rolling around yelling to her "It's a good way to gather!" Well, he _was_ only 11.

xXxXxXx(a few hours later in Lavaridge)

"What took you so lo-why are you covered in soot?"

"Ehehe, I might have had a bit too much fun rolling around."

"... I'm not even going to ask, just take a bath."

xXxXxXx(Weather Institute, see Ch.2 for beginning)

"You okay?"

Yuuki lay on his stomach, unable to move because of the intense pain in his back. Since when was a Zigzagoon's tackle to painful?

"Let's see, I can't feel my back." He said, then paused. "Scratch that, I wish I didn't"

Allen sighed. "And this is why you don't charge head-first into an attack."

Yuuki chuckled, looking up at the little Castform hovered above him. "I'm fine, it's nothing to worry about."

The pink Pokemon gave him a worried look, settling next to him. He patted it's head, wincing as the movent caused more pain to spread out again. One of the men working there came up to them.

"Thank you for your help, I'm sorry this had to happen." He said, then he noticed the Castform. "I think he likes you, would you like to take him along?"

Yuuki's eyes widened a bit, and even Allen seemed a bit surprised. He looked back at the ball-shaped creature and smiled.

"Sure, why not? How 'bout I call you... Kay." Kay cooed happily, hovering in circles above him.

A new addition to the family was always welcome.

xXxXxXx(Fortree city)

Fortree was impressive. Sen looked up at all the houses built on trees, the ladders and bridges connecting them. Yuuki seemed impressed too, seeing as he nearly walked into one of them.

One problem the faced was the gym. It wasn't that they couldn't beat it, no, it was that they couldn't get _into_ it. There was something blocking the way.

"Weird." She heard Yuuki mutter as he looked at the empty space in front of them. "Well, no use staying here if we can't even challenge the gym."

xXxXxXx(Route 120)

Yuuki thought back to the previous day when they had tried to challenge the gym. What could have blocked their way? He thought about it for a while, heading down a few steps on a cliffside, when another problem came up. Another invisible creature? H reached forward, poking it slightly. It felt oddly squishy. He looked down at Sen, who shrugged.

The rest of his team had grown in the year, Rhode being a Mightyena now, and Del refusing the Moon Stone Steven offered a few weeks back. Shinji had, after the incident at the Weather Institute, evolved into a rather tanky Umbreon, so he and Del were used in most double battles.

He backed away from the barrier, ignoring his curiosity for that mound near the cliffside. He looked up at the bridge, wondering if he could jump down from there, when he saw a familiar face that had him running through the tall grass.

"Steven!" He called, and the silver-haired man turned to him with a smile.

"Yuuki, glad your here, there's something I want you to see." He said, stepping aside. "See if you can pass throught here."

Yuuki frowned. "I think I see where this is going." He said. He stepped forward, reaching out, not even surprised when his hand came in contact with something solid. "Thought so."

"Oh, so you've already come in contact with some?"

"Might be why I haven't challenged the Frotree gym." Steven nodded in understanding. Then he pulled something out of his pocket. "Try using this."

Yuuki took the object. It looked like a pair of binoculars. He out it up to his eyes, looking to where the 'invisible wall' was, and jumped back.

"Surprising?"

"No, ugly."

Steven gave a small chuckle. "Well, now you know what's been in your way all this time. Go ahead and take it with you, it might help later." He said, walking away. Yuuki stopped him.

"Wait, I wanna try something." He said with a grin. "Come with me."

He lead the man down to where he was standing before, the pathway still blocked off by the creature.

"So what's that thing called?" He asked.

"Kecleon." Steven answered.

"And that's what's been blocking my way?"

"Yes."

"Okay then."

He suddenly kicked out, feeling his foot come in contact with something. A few seconds later, they heard and saw a splash. Steven looked at him in amusement.

"You know, most people choose to battle them. Though I suppose that's another way of handling things." He said, watching the boy walk down the slanted path.

"It was in my way, plus it annoyed me a little." He said. "And I really wanted to explore that cave over there." Sen just shook her head.

xXxXxXx(Scorched Slab)

Sen wove through the waters, her trainer clinging to her back. The finally managed to get to that cave in the lake, and they found it to be mostly flooded. She approached the shore, lettig Yuuki off her back as she climbed on. The cave was empty, save for one small disc lying on the floor.

"A TM?" Yuuki questioned, picking up the red disk. He read out the words on the front. "Sunny... Day."

xXxXxXx(Lillycove city)

Yuuki looked up at the contest hall, eyes sparkling. They had just arrived in Lillycove city, and before even stopping at the Center, Yuuki immediately ran to the large red building, much to Sen and Del's confusion.

"I can't believe I'm finally here!" Their trainer cheered, the two looking up at him in confusion. "I've been wanting to do a contest here in Lillycove for so long!"

"I told you he'd spazz out."

The three turned to see Allen and Tsukasa walking up to them, Sho and Ryu at their sides. Yuuki pouted.

"I am not."

"Right, and your not completely soaked either. Even I can tell you didn't stop at the center."

Yuuki looked over his clothes. His usually blue jacket was dark in color and his black pants were dripping wet. He gave a small grin.

"I was... excited." Allen gave him a look.

"Uh-huh, right." He pushed him in the direction of the red-topped building. "Bath, now."

"But-"

"Look on the bright side!" Tsukasa piped up. "You'll be nice and clean for your contest!"

xXxXxXx(Shoal Cave)

Sen looked at her trainer. Yuuki was searching for more Shoal Shells. After being told - again - by an old man at the entrance of the cave about Shell Bells and the items to make them, Yuuki had rushed into the deep water, the two of them going from place to place, looking for shells. He had also explained how they could only find things at certain times of the day, so she could imagine them coming back after a stop in Mossdeep.

She watched as Yuuki managed to pull free the shell from it's hold in the dirt, falling back onto the ground.

"I got another!" He cheered, facing her. She held out the bag they were using to carry the objects, watching as the shell dropped, right next to the other three.

"And that's four." He said, wiping his hands on his jacket (which was now covered in mud) "Let's head back to Mossdeep and come back in a few hours."

She nodded, jumping back into the water and waiting for her trainer to follow.

xXxXxXx(Mirage Island)

"Look at all the Wynaut!"

Yuuki ran towards the group of blue Pokemon, being tackled to ground by the happy things. Rhode watched in amusement as he laughed, lying under a berry tree. To their luck, while Surfing, they managed to come across Mirage Island. Yuuki, being the curious boy he was, changed course immediately and decided to explore, sending her out to help him.

She looked back, just in time to see him take a bite into one of the Liechi Berry a Wynaut offered to him. She smiled as he looked like he enjoyed it, before he began caughing, the sourness taking effect.

"I don't think these will be very good for me." He said, but smiled at the happy Pokemon. "But they're good."

At that the Wynaut brought more, and he laughed, agreeing that he'd take some with him, seeing as they wouldn't let him leave without at lease one.

xXxXxXx(Ever Grande City)

Yuuki stood, waiting, outside the cave that lead to the Victory Road. Sen stood next to him, watching the staircase that lead to where they were. He had no buisness there, despite having all the badges, he was for contests now, but he had something he needed to do. Two years of training and he was ready.

Yuuki felt the Marshtomp next to him stiffen, turning his gaze to the stairs. Blond hair met his sight, along with a familiar green leaf. He and Allen locked eyes, as the taller boy came forward.

"Yuuki..." He said, even his eyes held surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Yuuki met his gaze, determination shining in them.

"Battle me."

xXxXxXx(Oldale Town)

Yuuki sighed, burrying his face in his arms. It was no fun being champion, he realized, having to do so much work. He never even imagined _being_ champion until Allen pushed him to it.

It had taken a mere four hours for the title to be his, after all.

He raised his head again when he felt something hard thump him.

"Don't sleep, you have work to do." Allen scolded him. He had begun working with the police, Sho still at his side. Sen had long ago, during the battle to become champion, evolved into Swampert. She stood next to him at every challenge, never losing. Allen had challenged him nearly a month after he took the title, but failed to take it for himself with just a Grovyle, despite the slight advantage. They had heard from Tsukasa, apparently she wanted to get some more training in before she challenged him.

"But I'm tireeeed." Yuuki whined. Allen stood up, walking to the door. Seeing this, Yuuki chased after him. "Where are you going?"

"Mt. Pyre." The blond boy - now 14 - said, pulling on his jacket. "There have been sightings of Team Magma activity there, so I was asked to investigate." Yuuki's eyes widened.

"I'll go too." He said, folloing his friend out the door. Allen stopped him with a raised hand.

"You have work to do." He said, giving the shorter boy a stern look. "Go finish it. If I need any help, I'll call."

"But there's gonna be fire-types there!" He complained. He knew full well what Team Magma could do, he had faced them before at Mt. Chimney to get back a meteorite.

"That never stopped me in Lavaridge." He said, remembering the burns he suffered there. This statement seemed to have touched something, as Yuuki looked down, remembering the scene. Allen patter his head. "I'll be back."

Watching his friend leave, Yuuki couldn't get rid of the eery feeling inside of him.

Something bad was going to happen, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

xXxXxXx(Meteor Falls)

Yuuki, despite his better judgement, found himself scaling the stone walls of the cave. What had driven him to go all the way to Meteor Falls? He pushed the thought aside, he was here now, might as well see what was at the top.

He hauled himself over the edge, taking a breath and seating himself further from the edges. The sound of steel hitting rock caught his attention. He turned to see a familiar head of silver hair.

"... Steven?"

Said man jumped, turning around quickly. He smiled slightly.

"Yuuki, it's been a while." He said, standing up and dusting himself off. He held out a hand, helping up the young teen. "I heard from Wallace. I know it's a little late, but congratulations on becoming chapion!"

Yuuki smiled. Of _course_ he would find Steven here, it was a similar setting to when they first met. Only he hadn't been attacked this time by a raging mawile.

"By the way..." Steven questioned, giving him an odd look, "How did you manage to find me? Did Wallace tell you? No, wait, don't tell me you think of me as just a rock maniac?" He looked worried for a second, to which Yuuki laughed.

"No, after teaming up with you at the space center, I know how good you are. Although, if I hadn't, that would have been the first thing to come to mind." He said cheerfully. Steven laughed.

"I suppose. So," He said, grinning, "How about a battle?"

xXxXxXx

After thirty minutes, that eery feeling had started to come back. Yuuki could feel it, and he was sure Sen could too. He thought he was simply nervous about the battle, but seeing as it was almost over, that was highly unlikely.

Sen had finally managed to wear down Metagross, Muddy Water pushing it back. He ordered for one last Rock Smash before it collapsed to the ground, Steven returning it to it's pokeball.

"You've become so strong since we last met." He said, walking up to the teen. He noticed the look on Yuuki's face, and lowered himself so that they were at eye level. "Something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Something bad has happened..." He muttered, voice shaking. Steven gave him a confused look. "I... I don't know, I just feel it." He paused, "I need to get back to Oldale."

"I'll take you on my Skarmory." Steven said, Yuuki nodding in thanks.

He never expected the shock that would come to him when he got there.

xXxXxXx(Oldale To- Do I really need to say it?)

Sen watched her trainer as tears flowed down his face, crying into her side. Shinji was curled up at his side, the Umbreon attempting to soothe the crying boy.

The police had, as expected, come to Allen's house, wanting to speak to his parents. When no one was home to see them, they came to him. He and Steven arrived just in time to meet them at the front door.

_"Your friend, Allen, has he contacted you about the results of his assignment?" One of them said. Yuuki gave them a confused look._

_"No, he never called. Why, did something happen?"_

_The officer looked at him with pity. "He's been missing since the start of the assignment. No word has come back about whether he succeded or not."_

_Yuuki's eyes widened. That feeling that had been welling up inside him disappeared, and he finally knew what it was. Steven put a hand on his shoulder as he bowed his head, sending the officers back to their jobs._

_It had to be just a few moments later that Ryu had to come back with the news of Tsukasa's death._

_And that was when he really broke down._

Steven had, thankfully, understood when he asked to be alone. The man simply told him to 'be strong' and left. How could he be strong when his best friends were gone?

Sen gently nuzzled his head, attempting - and failing like her Umbreon companion - to calm their trainer. It took her a while before she figured he fell asleep, tears still flowing.

Things like these happened once in a lifetime.

And once they happened, there was no way to change them.

xXxXxXx(Pacifidlog, two years year later)

Sen watched her trainer as he looked out at the blue ocean. He sat there, unmoving.

Yuuki never lost his title as champion, but his view of the world changed. No longer was he the gentle trainer that he once was. He took on challengers, beating them harshly with his newly developed team. Trainers no longer new him as the kind-hearted champion of the Hoenn Region. All they saw now was a trainer with a cold aura.

During the events of the past two years, he managed to travel throught the Sinnoh Region, where he obtained a Riolu that he then named 'Ria'. Ria had taken after his current personality, becoming as ruthless in battle as he was. Needless to say, right after Sen, she was the powerhouse of the team.

Now he sat there, on the roof of his new house in Pacifidlog, watching the ocean as he always did. The rest of his Pokemon lounged outside the walls of the wooden building. Rhode was curled up around Ria and Del, the three sleeping peacefully. Shinji sat at the edge of the platform, paws in the water and doing practically the same thing as his trainer, he always had been easily influenced. Alemar, an Armaldo and a new addition to the team, swam through the water surrounding the hut, keeping his eyes set on their trainer with interest.

Steven still visited, at first shocked at how his friend's personality had changed, but he, like the rest in the league, got used to it. Only he, however, knew the real story of how it happened. When asked, he passed it off as "A bad memory."

Sen could understand where trainers got the idea of "Cruel chapmpion" but she knows how he still cries at night, calling the names of his friends that he'll never see again.

That, she knew, was the hardest thing of all for a human.

xXxXxXx

Oheylook, I didn't kill off my character this time. Though I didn't give him a happy ending.

So yeah, I used more scenes from the games this time, since this chapter was based off Emerald and had a lot more. I noticed I made him seem a bit bipolar in the middle, but everyone had those moments. I think.

Yuuki and his team (though some might change) will be used again as the main characters of another fic, this time set in Unova.

Okay, it's late, bye bye now.


End file.
